Systemic immune-inflammation index as a prognostic marker in HER2-positive breast cancer patients undergoing trastuzumab therapy.

The prognostic value of SII (Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index) in HER-2-positive breast cancer (BC) patients, regardless of whether they receive trastuzumab treatment, and its potential value to distinguish patients who may benefit from trastuzumab therapy, warrant further investigation. Clinical data was collected from 797 HER-2-positive BC patients between July 2013 and March 2018. Baseline data differences were adjusted with propensity score matching. Univariate and multivariate analyses explored the correlation between clinical pathological factors, SII, and DFS. Four groups were established. Based on the baseline SII values of the participants, patients who did not receive trastuzumab treatment were divided into Group 1 (Low-SII) and Group 2 (High-SII), where SII had no predictive value for prognosis between groups. Participants who received trastuzumab treatment were also divided into two groups: the Low-SII group (Group 3) and the High-SII group (Group 4). The 5-year DFS was significantly higher in Group 3 than in Group 4 (91.76% vs. 82.76%, P = 0.017). Furthermore, multivariate analysis demonstrated a significant association between high SII and shorter DFS (HR = 3.430, 95% CI = 1.830-6.420, P < 0.001). In HER-2-positive BC patients treated with trastuzumab, those with lower SII showed a longer DFS, suggesting that SII may help in identifying patients who benefit from trastuzumab therapy.

Prognostic value of baseline neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: exploratory analysis of data from the CLEOPATRA trial.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic role of the baseline neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients treated with trastuzumab/pertuzumab. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Data from 780 patients from the CLEOPATRA trial and 248 local patients were collected. Patients were divided into the low and high NLR subgroups by the NLR cutoff value. Propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) methods were used to control bias. Associations between the NLR and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of the subgroups were well balanced after PSM and IPTW. A low baseline NLR was associated with better PFS and OS in the trastuzumab and docetaxel (TH) group in the unadjusted, PSM and IPTW models. After IPTW, a low NLR, versus a high NLR, was associated with improved PFS (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.07-1.70, P = 0.012) and OS (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.12-1.94, P = 0.006) in the TH group. In patients undergoing treatment with trastuzumab and pertuzumab and docetaxel (THP), a low baseline NLR was also correlated with better PFS but not OS across the three models. After IPTW, a low NLR was associated with better PFS (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.20-1.93, P = 0.001) than a high NLR in the THP group. Multivariate analyses showed that a low baseline NLR was a predictor for PFS and OS in the TH group and for PFS in the THP group in all three models. In the real-world setting, a low baseline NLR was a predictor of better PFS among patients treated with docetaxel plus trastuzumab without or with pertuzumab in the multivariate model (P = 0.015 and 0.008, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A low baseline NLR is associated with better survival outcomes among HER2-positive MBC patients receiving docetaxel plus trastuzumab/pertuzumab as first-line therapy.